A Fairytale for the Lost
by PerfectGreiSky
Summary: If you could do anything for the person you cared about, would you? What if that something was to keep a secret that could eventually turn dangerous? Against his better judgement, he keeps Sora's secret. But with the potential of well enough to turn worse, Riku chooses escaping to fantasy to prevent insanity and keep a promise. AU Sora/Riku


Author's Rambles

This actually started out as a dream. Originally the neighbor's in the story were a boy and girl. I'm not a fan of Kairi. I just look at her and get so angry. I'm all: "DO SOMETHING USEFUL!" lol. So Sora/Kairi is out. It thought about making this a Terra/Aqua fic. I like the couple. But my passion as always been with Sora/Riku and so here we are!

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Chapter One

The days of summer seemed to drag on like a blanket of peace that had settled over everything like a social norm. This was a quiet little town. Nothing bad ever happened here, not that I wished for it. To be honest, this quiet peace was something I cherished. The days spent in my cozy little town were things that only occurred in stories woven together by old timers. In this sleepy little settlement children still played outside until the streetlights called him home. Block parties were social calls that involved all the neighbors and their families; and neighbors knew almost everyone by name. Despite all of the technology and social media this lovely place, for the most part, still clung to good old tradition. I myself could never get into things like Facebook. It seemed to drop your IQ after prolonged exposure.

Today was like all other days at home. The warm summer sun peaked through the shade of two well-placed pecan trees, adding just the right amount of warmth to the cool area. Lazily I lay back on the soft, manicured grass of my backyard. Well, my mom's backyard. We stayed in a two story house in the middle of the suburbs. This house would always be fondly remembered as the place where I was raised. The red brick structure had withstood time and weather all these years. The backyard in particular was mom's territory. She planted shrubs to line the fence, and flowers for color. To be honest my only job back here was occasionally mowing the grass.

"Riku!" My head lifted slightly in time to see him enter the gate. My childhood friend and neighbor happily skipped my way, ice cream in both hands. Sora grinned, blue eyes glowing with excitement while the wind tousled his wild brunette hair.. "I caught the ice cream guy and got you a cone." He said plopping down beside me. He was almost a foot shorter than me with a lean build gained from soft physical activity.

"Sweet." Sitting up, I reached for the strawberry. What better dessert could you ask for one a day like this? It was mandatory for all people to eat ice cream during the summer just once. It contrasted the heat with a kiss of coldness that sent shivers down the spine. That was the best time to eat it.

All conversations ceased while we ate, simply being in the uninterrupted presence of one another was all we needed. There was no homework and neither of us worked. We were at that tender age when mail with our names on it consisted of either credit card or college offers; might as well enjoy the peace while it lasted. Adulthood was constantly lurking around the corner. Soon we'd have to graduate and possibly go our separate ways; so even small moments like this could be looked back on as precious.

Sora had been my neighbor for as long as I could remember. Dad's work had moved my family to this boring little town. At first I resented it. There was absolutely nothing here that interested me in the least. When my parents moved us into our new home, Sora's family were the first to welcome us to the neighborhood. He was incredibly friendly, even then. In fact, the only thing that really changed about him was his height. To me, Sora has and always will be my cheerful best friend. The younger boy had a personality that made him hard to hate. Admittedly, we didn't get along at first, but as time went by him and this stupid little town grew on me. The rest was history, or so they say. Our relationship was purely symbiotic, surviving through the ages and hormones. We shared secrets and swore on the "Best Friend" code. And yes, there is a Best Friend code.

"We should do something fun before the summer's out." He said suddenly, interrupting my musing. Both of our deserts were long since gone by now. "We could go to the beach! It would just be me, you, and a few friends. Let's make a whole day out of it." My response was to nod. We were about an hour from the coast. It wouldn't be hard to get there. Maybe mom would trust me with the car for a day? Maybe if I buttered her up enough we could pull it off.

"Yeah, let's make a big day out of it. I have a friend that can buy us drinks." I grinned. "I'll bet you twenty dollars I can get you drunk enough to kiss Tidus again." His face flushed an angry red. His reaction only served to help me recall the memory of that wild night. To be fair, Sora did trip. However, any time lip touching is involved; it still counts as a kiss. I couldn't help it, the laughter bubbled up until it erupted from my lips.

The brunette shifted uncomfortably, his face contorting while several emotions battled for dominance on his face. Of course, this only made me laugh harder. The sound vibrated throughout my entire being until I was sore from it. That's when he took the opportunity to launch his counter attack. Sora threw himself at me, throwing a series of playful punches to my arms and sides. "I thought you weren't going to bring that up again?" He hissed. "It. Was. A. Accident." Every emphasized word was punctuated with a punch.

"I give! I give!" The white towel was thrown in. He had won. Satisfied he backed off, sitting down beside me like a disgruntled kitten. "it still counts as blackmail material though." The dirty look he shot me threatened to summon up another storm of laughter. I coughed it away quickly, holding on to my sore sides.

Of course, I'd never actually blackmail him. In return, he'd never actually hurt me. There was never a time where we were that angry at each other. Any dispute we had could be easily settled with our fists in the middle of a quick sparring match. Somewhere in the midst of flying fists and clashing opinions, our anger would melt away until there was nothing left but healthy competition.

"It was an accident though." He mumbled after a moment. "There's no amount of alcohol in the world that would make me mistake," he cringed visibly, "Tidus of all things as attractive." My response was to nod in agreement. Comfortable silence reigned again leaving us lost in our own thoughts. The heat from earlier was slowly starting to wane. The day was beginning to transition slowly into evening.

"Ready to go in?" I asked.

Sora got up first, dusting off his clothes before extending his arm to me to grab. "Yeah sure." I reached for it, meeting only with empty air. The brunette stumbled backwards from me, retracting the hand like I was some kind of disease. Those sky blue eyes widened and panic took over his features. My pulse instantly sped up in response. "Riku! Oh god, move! There's this-" his stumbled over the words, adding to my frustration.

"What?"

His mane of hair shook wildly while he struggled with the words. "There's a Spider!" That was all the motivation I needed. Thinking quickly I rolled away from the tree's comforting shade. Jumping to my feet I frantically shook my clothes, looking for the offending creature of terror. The damned things were fucking evil incarnate and there was probably nothing anyone could do to convince me otherwise.

"Fuck! Where is it? Where is it!" Turning circles, I gave myself a good pat down until Sora's own chuckles could be heard above my heart pounding in my ears. Did I mention my volatile fear of spiders? Oh I didn't? Well, I have an immense dislike for spiders. Fucking hate those damned things. Anything with more than four legs should be shot on sight. Just the thought of one of those damnable creatures was enough to make my blood run cold. "Oh you little son of a bitch." It wasn't the best come back, but it was the first thing that came to mind when the realization of his little stunt hit me.

The laughter died from Sora's face and he instantly darted away, sprinting around the yard in zigzag like patterns with me hot on his heels. He could run as much as he liked, my longer legs would more than ensure victory. Not to mention my track and field record from school. He ducked behind lawn furniture, adding insult to injury by making faces at me. The little bastard was going to die slowly. We danced around for a while. He would go left and I would follow until he jerked the opposite direction. He would go right and so would I. After a moment of frustration I grabbed the offending chair and tossed it out the way.

The brunette yelped and took off for the gate. Our chase of cat and mouse continued to the front yard. We circled my mother's parked car like idiots, until he darted off again. At this point the reason for the chase had been long since forgotten. Our chase became something free and innocent. The wind caught in our hair and laughter echoed through the quiet neighborhood. For the life of me I couldn't' remember what I was even chasing him for anymore.

My stomach began to protest angrily. Ice cream was a wonderful distraction, but more solid food would be better. Slowing to a stop I took a few deep breaths and stretched. That was enough of that for the day. "Sora, let's go inside and play video games!"

His trotting slowed and he turned to me with a smile. "Sure." Hot and panting we entered the house, shuffling like zombies when the house's air conditioning hit us. The sudden transition from hot to cold made our clothes stick to us uncomfortably with sweat, not that we cared.

Entering through the front of the house took us straight to the living room. The white walls were decorated with family photos and various hangings. The beige couches with their brown pillows and throws were hardy touched. There were vanilla scented candles burning cheerfully on the coffee table.

"Come in boys!" mom called from the kitchen. "I need help with dinner. You don't mind right Sora?"

We followed the voice obediently. My mother was a petite woman. I've towered over her for the past few years now. You know the drill; you hit high school and grow like fifty feet overnight. She kept her silver hair short and layered so that it framed her face and shoulders. The sleeves of her white blouse were rolled up as she chopped away at a cutting board. The rest of her outfit consisted of khaki capris and black loafers. Despite working in an office, she didn't believe in keeping up with the fashion trends like other women. She kept her work attire cheap and simple. One couldn't help but wonder sometimes if this was for my sake. I always seemed to get new clothes…

Sora sheepishly offered his greeting while I went in for a hug and kiss on her cheek. She was a wonderful woman and a wonderful mother. She had to be. Ever since dad died in that car accident about five years back, she's raised me on her own. In a way she was my mother and my father. She attended every school function I threw myself at with a smile. She praised me when my grades were good and struck fear into my heart when they weren't. Goodness knows I've tried my best to do right by her.

"No need to look traumatized boys. I'm just making spaghetti. It's not hard I promise." She smiled, bringing the smile out of the both of us as well. "Sora, go ahead and stay for dinner. I'll fix extra for your folks as well."

He washed his hands in the sink first, and then went to help prepare the ingredients. "Yes, ma'am, my mom would like that. She's been so busy lately. Thank you."

"It's no problem sweetie." She answered. "Alright guys, take care of the meat first." She walked us through basic steps, giving a reassuring pat here and there. Somewhere in between directing besides us, she moved to sitting and watching. We went from helping her cook, to cooking for her. Clever girl. To be honest, at first, we didn't really notice. Our time in the kitchen was like all other times, filled with laughter. Okay, so maybe there was a bit of a mess, but laughter was definitely present. At any rate, she was right. Cooking wasn't that hard. In fact it could be fun in small doses.

With the sauce and noodles cooked we fixed three plates and set the table for dinner. Sora poured juice into glasses and I issued out salad. "Very good, boys." She clapped. "Ladies love a cooking man. Remember that." Oh god weird. No guy wants his mother talking to him about girls. It's just awkward. In a way, they are girls. Well, they're women. Never call a woman a girl. It can get ugly.

Dinner was cozy. She talked about her day at work while we listened. We told her about riding our bikes around town earlier this morning. Sora mentioned wanting to take a trip before summer ended. She would only smile and nod.

When dinner ended I offered to clean up, Sora chimed in that he'd help as well. Between the two of us the work was done quickly, leaving us nothing but time on our hands. Afterwards we trudged upstairs to my sanctuary. My room was no different than most boys' rooms. I had a bed, a desk for my computer, and a TV for my games. There was even a secret stash of magazines that were for strictly educational purposes. I love the female anatomy. The wall was decorated with various posters ranging from women to video games. Depending on my mood they would change frequently.

He already knew his way around my room. Sora practically lived here. We've had sleepovers since we were kids, sleeping side by side in my bed until it was no longer considered innocent. As we grew older he had taken to bringing over sleeping bags. Sora had become such a frequent resident that mom simply bought him an air mattress. I kept it tucked away tightly in my closet in case he needed it.

While Sora shuffled through my slowly budding game collection, I stripped down to a white undershirt and my shorts. A man had the right to be comfortable in his own lair didn't he? "Let's play this one." He said after a moment, waving a fighting game.

"Alright, but don't cry when you get beat again."

We played for what seemed like hours. The longer the controls sat in our hands, the more heated the competition became. He'd win a round, egging me on with a few jeers and a corny little victory dance. The next round my competitive side would lead me to victory, giving me my time to shine. This continued until we hit a gridlock. Our fingers ached from the button mashing. Both of our egos bruised over pixels, we soon resulted to wrestling; tumbling around the room in a pile of clothes and skin.

In the end my towering size worked to my advantage. I was easily able to fling him off and onto the floor. He lay there panting; staring up into what was possibly the smuggest expression the muscles in my face could muster Not bad, if I do say so myself.

It was then that I noticed it. On his arm there was a discoloration. His skin, normally a nice even tone, had a angry purple blemish on it. I quickly got up, sitting next to him to get a better look. "Hey, Sora, your arm has this bruise on it." I muttered reaching out to touch it.

"It's nothing." He said, shrugging off my touch to fix his clothes. "I just ran into something probably. You know me." With that he smiled, as if that would easy my growing concern. If he'd run into something, wouldn't it be bigger? But then again, maybe it was an old bruise and was shrinking as it healed.

"You should be more careful." It was the only response that came to mind. We said nothing for a moment. It was rare for the air around us to be so tense. The little voice in the back of my head screamed at me. '_Even Sora isn't this clumsy!'_ But how do you bring up a subject that someone obviously wants to avoid?

"I wasn't looking where I was going the other day," he continued to ease the awkward silence, "and just bumped into something. Don't worry about it." His easy smile said that he was fine. Nodding I accepted the answer. There was something deep within me that wanted to believe it. Sora had always been so happy, there was no way the mark could be anything other than an accident. If there was something bothering him, he would just come out and say so, right?

_'Not if he thought it would make you worry_…' The thought bubbled from somewhere deep in the back of my consciousness. '_If he thought it would bother you, he'd keep it to himself…'_ Thinking back on it, Sora's household was going through something. Maybe someone was sick? For the life of me I couldn't remember. Maybe he was worried about it. It made sense to be distracted enough to run into something when you were troubled.

Trying to picture him as anything other than blissfully optimistic was damn near impossible. It was just easy to forget he had those less than perky moments because of his happy-go-lucky demeanor. The world could be falling down in flames around him and somehow he would still manage that same goofy smile. That was the Sora I grew up with. Nothing seemed to faze him.

He was like a contagious disease that spread his stupid happiness where ever he went. When Sora smiled, my face usually smiled too. Being around him made me happy. There was a level of contentedness that I just didn't get anywhere else. To see him sitting quietly, lost in the void of troubled thoughts that occasionally flashed across his face bothered me.

At that moment that I knew I would do anything to make him feel better. Sora was precious to me, an important part of my daily life. To me he was… My mind raced as thoughts and emotions battled to form coherent opinions. These emotions were powerful. '_He's what…?'_ Were they love? I bit my lip. Could it be possible that I had fallen for my best friend? Love was love, no matter the race or gender. I was a firm believer of this.

It was like something out of a cheesy movie and yet here I was, the boy next door, questioning certain feelings that arose from the thought of someone harming my best friend. Love was definitely a possibility. There were different levels of love so there was no need to jump to stupid conclusions. Not yet anyway. "If you ever want to talk, you know where to meet me. I promise I won't tell anyone." I managed after a moment. "I swear on the best friend code." Would he react to the joke?

The brunette's reaction was slow, but after a moment he smiled. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." With a soft grunt he rose to his feet, stretching long and tall. "It's getting late. I should go home."

"I'll walk you." We left together, passing mom's room along the way. Her TV cast a soft light on the hallway wall as we moved. It was hard to tell if she was asleep or not. We said nothing just in case so she wouldn't be disturbed. From there we descended the steps, moving towards the kitchen. As promised, mom had prepared Tupperware for Sora's family placed them in bags. We gathered everything set out and headed to the door.

The sun had already set outside. Time certainly flew when you were having fun. The breeze was cool and crisp, a perfect contrast to the summer heat we experienced earlier. Not a word or joke passed between us. There was nothing but that uncomfortable silence. It was a short distant from my house to his. It was literally a matter of crossing the grass. Despite this Sora drug his feet, his eyes seemed transfixed on the ground. His behavior did absolutely nothing to make me feel better.

When my yard melded into his, he finally looked up. Like my own home, Sora's was a two story brick home. It was a cookie cuter home, shaped from the same mold as many of the other houses on our block. In fact, there wasn't much of a difference between the structures of our houses once you stepped inside.

I watched him walk up the front steps, and even held the food while he fished around for his keys to unlock the door. He turned the key and the click of the lock that followed sounded ominous. He faced me with a forced smile that dulled in comparison to his normal one. "Thanks for the food Riku." He said taking the baggage from me.

So there was something wrong. Why won't you say anything?! "Hey no problem, my mom loves you like a son. Come over whenever you need something." If he needed money I'd find it. If he needed food, I'd cook it. If he needed a place to stay, my house was his. So what was so damned troubling that he couldn't tell me? God I wanted to slap him silly.

"Thanks." He turned and entered his house. The door closed behind him with a thud so final the sound of the locks turning seemed to echo in my ears. Whatever Sora was going through, I wanted to help him through it. Mixed emotions or not, I'd still want to help if I could in anyway. It was what true friends did for one another.

For a while I stood there, staring at the spot where my best friend last stood. The things mulling over in my brain were hard to process. That stupid voice in the back of my head didn't make thinking any easier. _'Do you want easy, or honest?'_ it seemed to ask me. Did he think it was none of my business? Probably, we couldn't always share everything. Maybe he felt like this particular problem when above my head. I quietly prayed that wasn't the case. He should never feel like his worries were above me. Not just Sora, but all of my friends could come to me. Even if I couldn't help immediately, I would always listen.

Slowly my hand reached up to clutch at my chest, as if that simple gesture alone would ease the sudden pain that came over me. We wouldn't always be together. Just thinking about it caused a mild panic to rush over me. All my friends would graduate and begin to pursue their own dreams. It was a sad but true. Apparently separation wasn't something my heart was ready to come to turns with yet, especially not now that there were these feelings.

With a heavy heart and full mind I forced my feet to move, heading back to my home. That was when I heard it; the sound of a drunken slur muffled by the thickness of walls. Morbid curiously made me turn back towards Sora's house. Cautiously my feet carried me up to the doorsteps. I leaned forward for a better listen. "You sink you can jus come home wheneber boy?" I never heard Sora reply. After a moment of silence there was a loud smack, most likely from skin connecting with skin followed by a body hitting the floor.

"Don't hurt him! Don't you dare touch him!" A woman's voice this time; it was his mother coming to the rescue. Whether she received the same treatment or not was unknown. Just the bit that was overheard was enough. I stumbled back from the house. Being anywhere near it caused me pain. The sense of panic returned with full force along with the pain. It was then that I remembered. No one was sick in Sora's household. His father had lost his job a few months ago. The rumor around the neighborhood was that he lost his job and found the bottle. His mother had taken on a second job to keep them afloat. The man of the house went from supporting his family to supporting his habits. As well as beating his family.

_'But you knew that already, even if you won't admit it completely…' _That goddamned voice again; surely it would be my mental undoing. My stomach churned dangerously, as dinner threatened to come back up. Finally my legs began begin to move; first one foot and then the other until I found myself sprinting. His father was beating him. Oh god, the bruise wasn't an accident. While he was in my room earlier, in the back of my mind the thought had formed. The connection had been made. Sadly that part of me that wanted to see the good in everyone blinded me. What a fucking idiot. Why didn't I grab him then and there and shake the truth from him?

Reaching my house was a blur, I flung myself through the threshold of the door, closing and locking it behind me. The stairs were ascended two at a time like there was something closely following at my heels. My room screamed out to me like a welcoming friend with an awaiting hug. I didn't stop running until my door was closed and my body met with the mattress.

He was right here. Sora sat beside me the entire day, smiling and joking with me. The whole time I sat next him not knowing that once he left me, he'd go back to abuse. How long had he suffered with the bruises? Was he okay? Depressed? The questions nagged at me until I couldn't take it.

I got up and made my way to the window, pushing aside the curtains to see outside. From my window I could easily see Sora's room. His blinds were closed but the light was on. I fumbled around in my pocket until I found a fist full of change. Opening the window I leaned out, throwing the coins against his window relentlessly until he finally opened it up to me.

My best friend looked tired and drained. All the energy he displayed earlier was gone, leaving a shaken and fragile looking boy. "Sor-" I swallowed, forcing away my hesitation. "Sora!" He stared back at me with empty eyes and forced the corners of his mouth up into a smile. My chest felt like it would explode. "Tell me! What can I do?!" he didn't answer. Why wouldn't he say anything? Speak to me! "I want to help Sora. Please let me help, you're my best friend."

Our gazes locked. While mines pleaded with everything within me, his face was terribly guarded. "I'm tired." He mumbled eventually. The sound was so faint I had to lean out further to catch it on the wind. He turned away from me and in that brief moment before he disappeared and his light was snuffed out for the night I saw it. The side of his face bore an angry red mark from the hit I heard just moments ago outside his home. I felt sick.

Feeling rejected I lowered my head. There was no way he'd come back to face me tonight. It was obvious he didn't want to talk, not even to me. Never before had I felt so helpless. So I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I took deep breaths and bit my lip to keep from screaming.

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Author's Ramblings

And that's the first chapter. I'm practicing my first person so please be nice and review. I can't improve without constructive criticism, I was attempting to paint a happy, fuzzy atmosphere for the beginning of this chapter. My hope is that it spiraled down slowly from there. I'm trying not to type something that's rushed. Hopefully I'm not dragging things out too much either. Anyway. Tell me what you think. To continue or not to continue? That is the question...


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